by Bella Rose
Nicolai touched the man’s shoulder. “I appreciate that, but the last thing we need is the cops crawling all over our operations. I’ll be fine here. I’ll text you if I run into problems.”
Anatoly turned and lumbered away toward the place where they’d left the car. “I still don’t like it,” he muttered.
Nicolai settled down to wait. Lily had to be brave enough to make a run for it.
***
Lily remembered her dream. She remembered the hellish place that he had taken her. The screaming, the violation, and the enslavement of her body for the use of others. Those were the things that kept her from trying to leave. She was terrified of what would happen if she woke him.
She sat down, gingerly perching on the edge of the chair across the room from the sleeping devil. She wondered where Nicolai was. He should have returned here by now. It was in the back of her mind that Vladimir might have murdered him too. The man was certainly capable of such a horrible thing.
Wrapping her arms around her midsection, she held her breath and refused to cry. That would do no good. If Nicolai were dead, she was on her own. She would need to find a place to go. That meant she needed money. Where would someone like her go to get money? She couldn’t return to her father’s house.
That thought alone made her brave. She stared again at Vladimir’s sleeping form. There were no clothes on the floor, yet he was naked in the bed. That meant he had to have undressed in the bathroom. Perhaps he had left a wallet.
Anticipation made her nerves raw. She carefully rose from the chair. Creeping across the bedroom, she entered the bathroom. She eased the door shut. Feeling along the wall for the light switch, she held her breath and tried to choose which of the three to turn on. Before she hadn’t cared if she flooded the bathroom with light. In hindsight, that had been idiotic. She could have awakened Vladimir. Except she hadn’t known it was Vladimir.
This whole situation was making her head spin. Picking a switch, she pushed the toggle. A tiny light in the shower went on. There was just enough light to see the pile of bloody clothes Vladimir had left on the floor.
The pressure of tears was unbelievable as she began picking through Vladimir’s clothing. What if this were Nicolai’s blood?
No.
She shoved the thought to the back of her mind. She would not allow herself to believe that he was dead. He was alive. He had to be. Gathering her resolve, she searched quickly for Vladimir’s wallet.
Finally she located it in a hip pocket. Using her thumb and index finger, she pulled it out. There was a smear of blood across the smooth leather surface. Ignoring the blemish, she opened it and discovered hundreds of dollars in cash. It might be enough to get her a place to stay, although even Lily knew that fresh starts didn’t come cheap.
She reached for a towel and wiped her hands. Nicolai’s bathroom was now spotted and stained with blood. Lily couldn’t understand how anyone could murder his own father. She had hated hers, but she never would have killed him. Then he had shown up here in Nicolai’s home. It was as if he were trying to switch lives with his twin.
A chill raced down her spine. It was time to go. She wasn’t safe here any longer. The clothes she had discarded earlier were still in the bathroom hamper. She pulled on the jeans and sweater, glad that she had them. She felt a little pang at having to leave all of the beautiful new things that Nicolai had bought for her behind.
Perhaps the fire of self-righteous anger made her reckless. In any case, Lily shoved Vladimir’s money into her pocket and left the bathroom with a rather bold step. She took one last look at the murderer sleeping in Nicolai’s place and left the bedroom. Her bravado lasted until she hit a squeaky step halfway down the stairs.
“Lily?” Vladimir’s sleep-roughened voice called out. “Lily, where are you?”
She held her breath. Was it better to answer or make a run for it? Trying to outrun Vladimir would likely be suicidal. She gathered every ounce of her composure and called back to him. “I’m just getting a drink, Nicolai. I’ll come back to bed in just a moment.”
“Hurry up.” He sounded irritable. “I’m horny.”
Lily did hurry, but in the opposite direction. Whatever courage she’d been feeling was replaced by an absolute terror that she might be forced to live out that awful dream. She reached the bottom of the stairs and tried to be careful as she unlocked the front door. Once it was open, she could see the first light of dawn on the horizon.
***
Nicolai yawned and rolled his shoulders to loosen muscles that were cramping with the effort of remaining still for so long. He was unaccustomed to surveillance. The shadows hid his presence. He had burrowed into a copse of trees in a yard across the street from his own house. The irony of that was not lost on him.
The overwhelming scent of boxwood tickled his nose. He swiped at a branch that was doing its best to scratch his arm. Dawn was coming and he was heartily sick of waiting. Perhaps he wasn’t cut out for this sort of thing. Or perhaps it was the necessity of doing nothing instead of just charging in and taking action that was nearly driving him mad.
Then he saw the front door open and Lily hustled out of the house. She was dressed in plain jeans and a sweater that hugged her figure. Her hair tumbled over her shoulders and Nicolai was reminded once again of why this woman was worth all the trouble. She deserved better than to be stalked, frightened, and abused by his obviously insane brother.
Carefully extracting himself from the clinging trees, Nicolai walked the edge of the yard and followed Lily’s progress down the sidewalk. She was walking with her head bent and her eyes locked on the sidewalk before her. Nicolai had no way of knowing if Vladimir was awake or not. Yet if Lily had escaped the house, there was a strong possibility his twin was still asleep. Keeping that in mind, Nicolai texted Anatoly to send a car to meet them at the corner market just a block down the street.
Nicolai strode quickly down the street. He crossed at a narrow intersection with plenty of large, leafy trees to cast early morning shadows across the road. The path he had taken had gotten him ahead of Lily. She was walking toward him now with her head down. It took several moments for her to notice him standing beside a large tree.
“Nicolai!” Her eager voice warmed him.
She ran over and flung her arms around him. The earnestness of the gesture warmed him. Sweeping her off her feet, he held her close and reveled in the sensation. She was warm and soft against his body and his physical response was immediate. Something about this woman seemed to fit him in a way he didn’t yet understand.
“I thought you were dead! I thought he had killed you too.” Lily’s tone was almost desperate. “We have to get out of here. Now.” She was already tugging him down the sidewalk.
“You thought I was dead?” Nicolai took a firmer grip and lengthened his strides to keep up with her nearly running pace. “What gave you that idea?”
“The blood. There was so much blood, Nicolai. We have to get away from Vladimir. He’s sure to wake up and follow.” She was obviously desperate.
Nicolai’s anger began to boil. “What happened? Did he wake up? Did he hurt you? How the hell did he even wind up in the house?”
“I don’t know. He just walked in and got into bed. It was dark. I—I thought he was you. I’m so sorry!”
“Don’t be, Lily,” he soothed. “The man is insane. You had no reason to suspect he would do such a crazed thing.”
She grimaced. “You don’t understand, Nicolai. Vladimir killed your father. I’m sorry. But I know it must be true.”
Nicolai didn’t ask any questions. For now, he needed to get them to the corner market where their ride awaited them.
Chapter Ten
“Are you sure Anatoly is sending someone to pick us up?” Lily didn’t understand how Nicolai could be so calm. She was practically coming out of her skin. Any second she expected Vladimir to show up. “We’ve been waiting for almost fifteen minutes.”
“It’s all right, sweet
heart.” Nicolai wrapped his arm more securely around her and held her close. He touched her hair, the caress making her feel cherished. “I promise our ride is coming. The market is busy this time of morning. All these early risers come up to get their coffee and pastries before work.”
“It is crowded,” she agreed. “I had no idea so many people were up and about so early.”
Nicolai started to say something, but then his face grew tense. He took a step back, covering their presence next to the building with deep shadows. She took a breath to ask what was wrong and he covered her mouth with his fingers.
“Vladimir,” he murmured.
A shot of pure panic raced through Lily’s veins. If Nicolai hadn’t been holding on to her, she would have bolted. She buried her face against his arm, peeking out to see Vladimir’s car roar down the street.
The parking in front of the corner market was tight. Vladimir didn’t appear to care. He double-parked and got out of his car. The arrogance of him was shocking. It was as though he truly thought he was the boss of the Pasternaks, which meant he could do whatever he wanted.
“Sir?” A woman stood beside the car he’d blocked in, looking aghast. “I need to get my car out.”
He gave her a dismissive snort. “You can wait.”
“But, sir!”
Vladimir strode into the store through the exit. He shoved the door open, sending a customer flying.
“Come on,” Nicolai whispered. “We need to see what he’s up to.”
She tugged against him, trying to pull him back toward the wall. “You’re as crazy as he is!”
“It’s all right, Lily.” He winked at her. “I’ll keep you safe.”
She followed, but only because she was curious. They crossed the alley beside the market and went in through the back entrance. Vladimir already had the store in a complete uproar.
“Where is she?” His words rolled through the aisles like thunder.
Customers stopped and stared. The clerks gazed at each other with looks of obvious helplessness on their faces.
“That’s right!” He had pitched his voice to carry. “You’re all waiting for me! My name is Vladimir Pasternak. I’m looking for a woman who is my property. She’s about this height”—he held his hand up to where Lily’s head would be if she were standing beside him—“and her hair is blond. She is quiet and unassuming and if anyone here has seen her I want to know it. Now!”
“Sir?” One of the clerks was giving a half-hearted wave. “I saw your woman a few minutes ago. She was standing outside with another man.”
“What man?” Vladimir roared.
The clerk shared a glance with one of his coworkers. “Well, he looked like you, sir.”
“Nicolai.” The obvious fury in Vladimir’s gaze made Lily tremble.
“Time to go,” Nicolai whispered.
They quickly exited the store the same way they’d gone in. Once they were back in the alley, Nicolai ran to the mouth of the narrow space and looked out. She followed closely, not wanting to lose track of him. By peeking around Nicolai’s back, she could just barely see the front of the store.
Vladimir stalked outside. He shoved his way through a cluster of shoppers. Some of them fell down. He obviously didn’t care. But when he arrived back at the spot where he had left his car, there was a tow truck already lifting his vehicle off the ground.
“What the hell do you think you’re doing?” Vladimir demanded.
The guy gave Vladimir an insolent once-over. “You’re illegally parked.”
“I’m here now. Drop it and get the fuck out of here.”
The man had the audacity to laugh. “Sorry, but that’s not how it works. You can come get your car at the impound lot. I’ve got a card with the info for you.”
Vladimir pulled his gun from its holster in the small of his back. He leveled the barrel at the tow-truck driver. “Put my car down. Now.”
Lily squeezed her eyes shut. She could hardly stand to see what happened next. Then she heard a car. It came to a stop behind them. Nicolai plucked her right off her feet and ran to the car while carrying her like a sack of flour. She didn’t care. Seconds later they were driving away from the market and Vladimir’s wrath.
***
Nicolai closed all of the blinds and double-checked the locks. This safe house was a simple affair. He had purchased the building several years ago under the guise of a dummy corporation. He had renovated it, and then used the ground-floor apartment when he needed a place to lay low for a while. Two of his father’s enforcers rented the top floor from him. The furnishings were sparse and masculine. He hoped she would be comfortable enough here.
Nicolai offered Lily what he hoped was an encouraging smile. “This house wasn’t exactly built to be secure. Anatoly will send some guys over to stay with you. And two more of our men live upstairs.”
“I’ll be fine.” She was wringing her hands together and staring around as though she were anything but fine.
Nicolai gently took her hands. He pried them apart and held them loosely in his own. “You will be fine. You’re one of the strongest people I’ve ever met, Lily. Look at everything you’ve been through. And even then you had the courage to run away from my brother.”
“I wasn’t courageous.” She kept her eyes down, refusing to meet his gaze. “I ran away because I was scared.”
“It takes a lot of bravery to run.” He lifted her fingers to his lips. “Staying—even when you’re in a bad situation—is just giving in to fear and deciding to just deal with the crap as it comes. Change is frightening.”
“Are you afraid of change?” She lifted her gaze and it nearly took his breath away to see the naked emotion right there on her face.
“Yes. I am.” He wondered how much he should say. “I never wanted to lead the family.”
“You mean in your father’s place?” She frowned as though she were having trouble putting it all together. “But you’re going to have to now, because Vladimir isn’t fit for the job?”
“It’s tempting to just let him have it, turn my back, and walk away.” That was more than just tempting, actually. That was his preferred method of dealing with all of this.
She cocked her head to one side. A lock of hair slid over her shoulder and rested against the curve of one breast. “But you’re not going to do that.”
“I’m not?” He wondered why she would guess that.
“No.” She moved closer to him, until she was staring up into his face and standing so near to him that he could feel the heat of her skin. “Deep down you care about your father’s men. You may not like all of the things that they do or how they act, but you respect the men and they’ve been your family for too long for you to just turn your back. Especially when you know what Vladimir will do with that sort of power.”
“Damn.” He cupped her face and leaned down to press an almost chaste kiss to her lips. “How is it that you know me so well?”
“I’ve gotten good at figuring out what people are like from watching how they act and looking at the choices they make.” She nuzzled him gently. “You took me in, even though you knew there was no benefit in it for you. And you just said that two of your father’s men are living upstairs. That tells me that you think of them like family.”
“I’ll have to remember your powers of observation the next time I need an assessment of someone.” He pressed a kiss to her forehead. “You’re a hell of a woman, Lily.”
***
Lily warmed at his words. She had never thought of herself as being particularly good at anything, but Nicolai made her feel good about herself. She watched him go and locked the doors behind him.
The silence inside this modest living space wasn’t heavy. There was an almost tranquil quality to the place. She liked being there. Walking through the rooms, she noted the worn overstuffed living room furniture and complete lack of a dining table. The paper plates stacked neatly on the counter suggested that it was used in lieu of a table.
&nbs
p; With nothing else to do, she began tidying up. She had already wiped down the kitchen and was headed into the bedroom when the pounding started on the front door.
Lily sank into a crouch in the hallway. The window in the front door was frosted. Nobody could see inside. That didn’t mean someone wouldn’t break in. And she had no way of knowing who was there.
“Nicolai!” Vladimir’s shout seemed to shake the windows. “I know you’re in there! You’re hiding her! Bring her out. Now!”
Lily trembled. She curled up with her back to the wall and tucked her head into her knees. Burying her face, she refused to give into the fear creeping up her spine.
“Lily!” Vladimir shouted. “Get out here. Come to me, Lily. Do it now! That bastard has no right to you. None! You belong to me!”
She squeezed her eyes shut and dug her nails into her jeans. The pounding abruptly stopped.
Lily’s eyes snapped open. What had happened? Surely he hadn’t just left? Her stomach knotted with nerves. Getting on her hands and knees, she crawled toward the front room. The wood floor was cold beneath her. She scooted past the door, barely allowing herself to breathe lest she give her presence away.
Once she reached the fluffy area rug, she took a position beneath the window. Peering through a corner of the glass, she saw Vladimir speaking to two hugely built men. The aggressive stance of all three did not bode well.
“Vasily. Georgy,” he said while rudely pointing to the taller man and then to other. “There is a woman in my brother’s house. Admit that to be true!”
The two men simply stared at each other, and then at him. Vasily appeared to be the self-appointed spokesperson. Lily’s stomach cramped with nervous agitation. Did this Vasily not know the danger of arguing with a crazy man like Vladimir?
Vasily tilted his head and stared insolently at Vladimir. “You should go. The council is looking for you.”
“Everybody is looking for me.” Vladimir gave a derisive snort. “And the council will see me soon enough when they acknowledge me as my father’s heir.”
From the safety of the house, Lily gasped in shock. There was no reaction from the men. Their glare simply grew hotter. Finally they started speaking to each other in low tones. The obscure Russian dialect they used was too difficult for Lily to make out, especially at a distance of ten yards or more.
